


Cybernetic Augments & What They Mean

by Peace_and_LongLife32



Category: Star Trek: Discovery
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-07
Updated: 2017-11-13
Packaged: 2019-01-30 19:12:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12659655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Peace_and_LongLife32/pseuds/Peace_and_LongLife32
Summary: Missing Scenes from ST Discovery





	1. He did what?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hugh loves Paul with all of his heart... Now if only he would stop giving him heart attacks, that would be great

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based off this prompt:
> 
> https://yes-deardoctor.tumblr.com/post/167066770951/anyone-wanna-write-a-fic-about-culber-designing

Paul has spent his life fascinated by mushrooms and Hugh accepted, respected, and loved that about him. What Hugh could not accept, respect, or love about the mad scientist he so adored was him putting said love of mushrooms over his own life. When he had first heard about Paul being found on the floor of the Spore Chamber, he had already been walking towards the infirmary. Suddenly, Acting Captain Saru’s voice echoed over the comm commanding that the computer beam Lt. Stamets to Medbay. He found himself quickening his pace before he had even begun to process the information and once he did, he started to run. 

 

As he neared the door, he had to force himself to slow down as to not run into it and he skidded, scruffing up the floor of the hallway leading to Medbay. He took a deep breath as he opened the door, preparing himself for the worst.  _ What if he tried to force the Tardigrade to work the Spore Drive and it attacked him? What if he tried to push the system without the Tardigrade and he got thrown around like before? What if-  _

 

Hugh had been expecting to see Paul lying on a biobed, bloody and broken but instead, he opened the doors to sickbay to witness his partner sitting up on a biobed, blood trickling down his side - laughing. Paul was alive, seemingly  _ mostly  _ unharmed and… laughing. 

 

“Hugh!” Paul’s brighten when he saw his partner and he wiggled his fingers at him, beckoning him closer. Hugh stood and stared. 

 

“Hugh! Hugh!” Paul sighed, delighted at the sight of him. He made a grabbing motion at him until Hugh was able to shake off his surprise and began to walk towards him. 

 

“Hello, Dear Doctor!” 

 

“Hello, love... Are you alright?” He smoothed his hand over pale blonde hair, trying to soothe both his speeding heart and his partner’s uncommonly erratic behavior.

 

“Oh yes! Very much so! It was wonderful!” 

 

“Paul, darling, you’re bleeding.” 

 

Paul paused, startled, then looked down at his side, “Oh… So I am.”

 

“Will you allow me to treat you?”

 

Paul smiled, “Of course! Of course!”

 

The nurses who had been trying to treat him before Hugh had arrived, began muttering in exasperation to one another and one of them handed over his medical equipment to Hugh. 

 

“He wouldn’t sit still long enough for any of us to look at his injuries,” the same nurse said before backing away and letting Hugh take over.

 

“Dear, I’m going to need to take off your shirt now, alright?” He spoke quietly and calmly in hopes of keeping Paul in a tranquil state for as long as possible.

 

Paul, distracted by something behind him, something only he could see, only nodded. 

 

Hugh began to cut the shirt off, starting from the bottom, then helped his partner shrug out of the tattered remains. Once it was off, he x-rayed Paul and was grateful to see minimal damage despite him being stabbed by Induction Coils. 

 

“You have three broken ribs on your right side and two on your left as well as a bruised right lung and a punctured spleen which thankfully did not rupture.” Hugh keep his voice light and Paul barely paid any attention to him.

 

He continued to talk though, perhaps more for his own benefit than for Paul’s, “First we’re going to use the Anabolic Protoplaser for the spleen and the lung, tell me if it hurts, okay? Ready? One, two, and done! Then the Osteo-Regenerator to fix the broken ribs, it might feel a little funny but let me know if you’re in any pain, and we’re finished with that... and finally, we’re gonna fix up these gashes with the Dermal Regenerator. And our task is almost complete, just need the hypospray to make sure you don’t get any infections from the open wounds, okay?”

 

Paul nodded, a small smile still on his face, as he obediently tilted his head without having to be told. 

 

Hugh hyposprayed him and then gently lowered him onto the biobed. 

 

“Good job, love. All done fixing you up.”

 

“All done,” Paul giggled, awe in his voice, “All done!”

 

“Yes, yes. Now we’re just going to check your brain, okay?”

 

Paul hummed his agreement, looking up at the medbay ceiling with focused attention. 

 

Hugh stepped back and allowed the CMO to check Paul’s Brain Circuitry Pattern and compare it to his current brain activity. 

 

Michael Burnham tapped on Hugh’s shoulder and beckoned him closer. He wondered when she had gotten there.

 

“I do not understand. Why were you talking to him like that?”

 

“He’s clearly under the influence of  _ something  _ and I didn’t want to aggravate him if I can avoid it.  _ Thus _ , I am a speaking in soft, soothing tones.”

 

Burnham took a moment to observe Lt. Stamets as he counted the grooves on the ceiling and giggled to himself as if in on a secret no one else knew.  

 

She turned back to the Doctor and nodded her understanding. 

 

“Now,” he said, turning so he could see Burnham, Cadet Tilly, and Commander Saru but also able to keep on eye on Paul, “Will one of you please be kind enough to explain what happened to my partner?”

 

Burnham and Saru exchanged a glance and though the Doctor had spoken politely, the tips of Saru’s threat ganglia were exposed. 

 

Tilly broke as soon as Hugh turned his full attention on her. 

 

“ _ He injected himself with the Tardigrade DNA and then used himself to navigate the spore drive _ .” 

 

She said in a rush then took a step back and away from Doctor Culber who then hissed, “ _ He did what?” _

 

The three didn’t have time to respond before the CMO called Hugh over. 

 

“Well, his brain activity is a bit abnormal but similar to someone high on mushrooms. His baseline pattern is raised but not exceptionally so. I believe he’ll be fine but truth be told he  _ did  _ experiment on himself and only time will tell for certain. Now normally,  I would confine him to the sickbay for observation but I think it would be best if we let him detox here then have him rest in in your room, provided you are there to monitor him.”

 

Hugh raised an eyebrow at his boss. 

 

“I don’t think he’ll be happy to stay here, once he comes down from his high and we want to keep him calm as possible. Without sedating him if possible, as I have no idea how that would affect him after he did... whatever it is he did with the Tardigrade DNA and the Spore Drive.”

 

Hugh nodded in agreement and pretended not to hear the CMO muttering how there also wouldn’t be any work getting down if the nurses had to deal with a grumpy Paul Stamets. 

 

“Hey love, we’re going to monitor you as you come down from your high then we’re going to go back to our room, okay?”

 

Paul turned away from the ceiling to look at Hugh, his eyes bright. 

 

He grabbed Hugh’s hand and brought it to his face, then turned towards his palm to lay a kiss on it.

 

“Okay. Love you.” He said before closing his eyes, a gentle smile on his face.

 

“Love you too.” Hugh kissed his forehead, then sat down on the biobed, alternately shifting his attention from his dozing partner to the Brain Circuitry Pattern above his head. 

 

The others decided to leave, knowing that they were not needed and that Lt. Stamets was in good hands.


	2. What does that mean?

Hugh was hovering and Paul was barely able to refrain from rolling his eyes as his partner kept scanning him with his Medical Tricorder. 

 

“Stop.” He muttered around his toothbrush.

 

“Stop what?”

 

“Stop worrying. Stop doctoring.” 

  
Hugh’s expression was one of fond exasperation, “Well, one tends to worry when they're doomed to love a brilliant but reckless maniac who's willing to risk his life for glory.”

  
“The captain was in danger.” Paul told him.

  
“Captains are in danger every day.” Hugh retorted. 

  
“You were in danger.” Paul’s voice held a vulnerability rarely ever heard from the astomycologist. He blinked, like he hadn’t plan to sound so emotional.   

  
He continued, trying to brush off him admitting of how haunting the realization of Hugh being in danger had been, awe seeping through his voice as he forced himself to change the topic.

 

“I've spent my entire career trying to grasp the essence of mycelium. Now for the first time I do. I saw the network. An entire universe of possibilities I never dreamed existed. It's unspeakably beautiful.”

 

Hugh looked at him, fondly as he tried to explain his experience.

  
“I also knew you'd leave me if I let anything else endanger that creature.”

  
“Oh,” He said, surprised. “So, you do listen to me.”   
  


“Not really.” Paul paused, humor in his eyes. “You sold that with a look.”   
  


“Don't do anything that stupid again. You may not care about you but I do.” 

 

Hugh took Paul’s hand, caressed his arm, smoothed back his hair, hoping to drive the point home into his partner’s brilliant but thick skull.

 

“You sure you feel okay?” 

 

“Yes, dear doctor. I feel okay.”   
  


“Okay.” Hugh took a moment to just look at him, grateful they were able to have this conversation at all, before smiling and walking off towards their bed. 

 

Paul, took a moment to look at his reflection, delighting in the left over feelings that arose from being connected to the spore drive.

 

When he walked out of the bathroom to join the Doctor, his reflection took a moment to follow. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

 

“Now, that's my kind of crazy.” Lt. Stamets sounded giddy as Specialist Burnham and Captain Lorca brought him up to speed on the situation. 

  
“You're talking about building a synthetic mind-meld augment… Groovy.”   
  


“Clearly your trip down the mycelium path has lightened your mood, Lieutenant.” Lorca said gruffly.   
  


He grinned, “Once you're past getting stabbed by needles, it's pretty great.”

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

“You are captain of the most advanced ship in the fleet, the cornerstone of our entire defense against the Klingons. You cannot treat Discovery like it's your own fiefdom.” 

 

Vice Admiral Cornwell voiced her concerns as Captain Lorca rebutted them with a glare. 

  
“Is it true what I heard about Lieutenant Stamets?” She continued, “He engaged in eugenic manipulation?” 

 

“He got the spore drive working again….Yeah, he saved the ship and the crew.”

  
“I appreciate that Gabriel. But there are rules.” 

 

“Rules are for admirals in back offices. I'm out there trying to win a war.”

  
“Then don't make enemies on your own side.”

 

Lt. Stamets stood still in the middle of an empty hall, staring into space, head cocked as if listening to something in the silence of the night. He stood there for a quarter of an hour before  suddenly jolting like he had been released from from the entrapments of his own mind and continuing on to his quarters. 

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Hugh was already there waiting for him when he entered their room. 

 

“I have something for you, well,  I  _ will  _ have something for you.”

 

Paul raised an eyebrow, “Okay?”

 

Hugh laughed.  

 

“Take a look at this.” He said and offered Paul his PADD. 

 

Paul looked over the design Hugh had created and felt the familiar rush of love that only Hugh could make him feel so easily.

 

“Hugh, these are beautiful… Thank you.”

 

Hugh stood up and hugged him from behind, “It’s really a present for both of us. These will help keep me from having a heart attack!” 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

“Not really an excuse anymore. So why are you still hiding in corners?” 

 

“Oh!” A white container filled with items fell and spilled out onto the floor as Burnham ran into Lt. Stamets and Doctor Culber. 

 

“Sorry, Lieutenant. Sorry, Doctor Culber.” 

  
Why would you apologize” Lt. Stamets gently chided as he drew Burnham into a hug, “for a random act of physical interaction?” 

 

Burnham awkwardly patted his back before he drew away, continuing, “You know these are the moments that make life so…  gloriously unpredictable.” 

  
He turned away from her to gaze at Lt. Tyler, “You’re a very tall man.” 

  
“I believe you met Lieutenant Tyler. He’s our new Chief of Security here.”

 

“May I say you are astonishingly grounded for having endured seven months of torture.” Lt. Tyler looked down at Lt. Stamets with amusement and annoyance battling for dominance in his eyes.    
  


“I deeply apologize for my partner. Lately, he’s been, um... different.”     
  


“Speaking of different, look at this cybernetic augment that my genius here built for me.” Paul showed off the augments in one of his arms, proud of what his Doctor had created.    
  


“We’re trying to make his connection to the Spore Drive more comfortable.” Hugh explained. 

 

Paul turned to Hugh with  admiration on his face, “You're always looking out for me.”   
  


“By the way,” Paul looked in between the others with a knowing expression,“What's the deal with you two?”

 

“There is no deal.” Burnham said incredulously. 

 

“Specialist Burnham would hate to be inappropriate.” Buhrman turned from Lt. Stamets to Lt. Tyler, feeling whiplash from this conversation.   
  


“Coming, Burnham? 

 

“What did he mean? What did you mean by that?” Paul called out at them as Hugh shhhed him. 

 

Hugh tried to pull him away but Paul pouted at him, “What does that  _ mean _ ?”

**Author's Note:**

> I figure the first time he melded with the Spore Drive he'd get really high lol


End file.
